Chapter 104: Neither Enemy, Nor Friend (II)

Elara:

Alaric looked down at himself before shrugging. "No."

Of course he wasn’t. Apparently, being ridiculously muscular came with its own heating system. I almost smiled at the thought but quickly suppressed it.

For a moment, neither of us moved. I looked at the person standing in front of me, still trying to understand how tonight had managed to change something I hadn’t even realized needed changing. He hadn’t suddenly become my friend. I wasn’t going to forget everything that had happened between us. But somewhere between carrying me through the woods and healing my ankle without hurting me, he had become something other than an enemy.

I swallowed and finally said the only thing that felt appropriate. "Thank you. For everything tonight."

His eyes met mine, and for once, there was no immediate response waiting on his lips. He simply looked at me for a moment, and somehow, that silence felt more meaningful than any words could have been.

I was about to turn toward the entrance when something suddenly occurred to me. I looked back at Alaric, who had already started to turn away, and asked, "Wait. How did you even find me in the woods earlier?"

He paused and glanced over his shoulder at me before giving a small shrug. "I was walking through the woods, and saw you."

That was it. No further explanation. No elaboration. Just a suspiciously simple answer that somehow raised more questions than it answered. I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering whether it really had been a coincidence. The academy woods were enormous, and I had wandered much farther than I intended. What were the odds that Alaric happened to be walking through that exact part of the forest at exactly the right moment?

Before I could question him further, he looked at me with faint amusement and said, "Stop overthinking, little disaster."

I blinked. "Little what?"

The corner of his mouth lifted. "Little disaster."

I stared at him, completely forgetting my previous question. "What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

Instead of answering, he tilted his head and asked, "You don’t like the nickname?"

His amusement grew when he saw my expression, and I immediately shook my head. "I have a perfectly good name."

"I know." He paused thoughtfully before adding, "Then should I call you Argentis like Reign does?"

The displeasure must have appeared instantly on my face because he chuckled under his breath. "Thought so."

I opened my mouth to object, but he continued before I could say anything. "Princess, then?" He considered it for approximately half a second before dismissing the idea with a shake of his head. "No. Too predictable."

I stared at him incredulously. "My name is Elara."

He completely ignored me. "How about Trouble?" he mused, looking genuinely thoughtful. "Or Menace. Actually, Tiny Menace might suit you."

I folded my arms. "Are you finished?"

"Not even close." His eyes gleamed with amusement as he continued his ridiculous list. "Ice Queen. Moonbeam. Stormy.."

I stared at him in disbelief. "Stormy?"

To his credit, he just shrugged.

I opened my mouth to argue again, but he was already studying me as though searching for something that actually fit. Then his gaze lingered on my face, and something shifted in his expression.

"Wildcat."

The word came out quieter than the others. He tilted his head slightly, considering it, and I noticed a strange spark in his eyes. "Do you like this one?"

I was too stunned by the sudden seriousness in his voice to answer immediately. I opened my mouth, determined to remind him for perhaps the hundredth time that I had a perfectly respectable name that my parents had chosen for me, but before the words could leave my lips, he nodded to himself. "I have chosen it."

I blinked. "What?"

"Wildcat," he said with absolute certainty. "That’s what I’m calling you."

I stared at him, utterly speechless. Turned out my opinion was optional when Alaric Ravenshade became determined about something.

Before I could recover enough to object, he suddenly stepped closer. My body reacted before my mind did, and I instinctively stepped backward. My shoulders hit the wall of the corridor with a soft thud.

Alaric stopped directly in front of me. One second, there had been a comfortable distance between us, and the next, that distance had vanished completely. He didn’t touch me, but he didn’t need to. His body practically caged me between the wall and his broad frame, his arms braced on either side as he leaned close enough for me to feel the warmth radiating from him.

My breath caught. The aloof expression I’d grown accustomed to seeing on his face was gone. Completely. There was no amusement in his eyes, no hint of sarcastic smirk, and no playful challenge. Just something intense that made my heart stumble against my ribs. I couldn’t name it. I didn’t want to name it. I simply stood there staring at him, suddenly hyperaware of every inch of space... or lack of it... between us.

For several heartbeats, neither of us moved. His gaze dropped briefly to my lips before returning to my eyes, and the simple movement sent an unexpected shiver through me.

I swallowed, suddenly unsure what I was supposed to do. This was Alaric. The same Alaric who had tormented me in class. The same man who had spent weeks provoking me alongside Reign. Yet right now, standing this close to me, he seemed like an entirely different person. And somehow, that was far more dangerous than his usual arrogance and coldness.

I could hear my own heartbeat pounding in my ears, and I wondered if he could hear it too. Then, just when the tension became almost unbearable, he abruptly stepped back. The air rushed back into my lungs, and I realized I’d been holding my breath. He straightened, the familiar calm returning to his face as though nothing unusual had just happened.

"Goodnight, Wildcat," he said, his voice carrying that same faint amusement from earlier. He took another step backward before adding, "Until we meet again."

Then he turned and walked away.

I remained pressed against the wall, staring after him as his broad figure gradually disappeared down the corridor. My heart was still racing, and I hated that I couldn’t explain why.

I finally pushed myself away from the wall and looked toward the direction he had gone, trying to convince myself that the strange fluttering in my chest meant nothing.

It was becoming increasingly clear that the heir Regents were dangerous for me. And in more ways than one.